The Association of Women in the Media (ASWIM) has saluted women for their diverse frontline mothering roles towards sustaining their households, communities, societies and nations.
The Association also applauded the millions of women across the world providing healthcare, food and other essential services for their sacrifices to contain and finally overcome the Coronavirus pandemic.
A Mothers’ Day statement, signed by Mrs Mavis Kitcher, President of ASWIM, and copied to the Ghana News Agency, stated: “We commend frontline workers in all countries for being the ‘mothers’ of the world at this critical time in history for their selfless services”.
It said such selfless motherly role was exemplified by Ms Mary Agyeiwaa Agyapong, the 28-year old pregnant Ghanaian nurse in the United Kingdom, whose life was snuffed out by COVID-19 in her dedication to saving lives.
“ASWIM celebrates Ms Agyapong and many like her, and prays that their sacrifices will never be in vain”.
It also prayed for God’s guidance and protection for all people, especially, women, who despite the dangers of COVID-19, had continued to offer care for their helpless children and families and risked their lives to engage in varied income generating activities to feed their households and the world.
It, particularly, commended the mother of the nation, First Lady Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo, and Mrs Akosua Frema Osei Opare, the Chief of Staff, for their sterling contributions to building the country.
ASWIM quoted the UN as saying that: “From cooking and cleaning, to fetching water and firewood or taking care of children and the elderly, women carry out at least two-and-a-half times more unpaid household and care work than men.
“As a result, they have less time to engage in paid labour, or work longer hours, combining paid and unpaid labour. Women’s unpaid work subsidises the cost of care that sustains families, supports economies and often, fills in for the lack of social services.
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“Yet, it is rarely recognised as ‘work’. Unpaid care and domestic work is valued to be 10 and 39 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product and can contribute more to the economy than the manufacturing, commerce or transportation sectors”.
It said in carrying out these frontline duties these countless years, mothers had demonstrated admirable multi-tasking abilities, selflessness, compassion, ingenuity, patience, long suffering, resilience, intuition, foresight, discipline, dedication, loyalty- among other values.
“They have undoubtedly been able to pass them (the values and skills) on to successive generations, less their societies become poorer in their shared humanity, ” it stated.
ASWIM said Ghana needed all of its mothers to continue to be in the frontline to drive holistic national development and thus urged them to strengthen their commitment to the fight.
“It would be a great service when women use their unique motherly influences to mobilise their communities to comply with the preventive protocols against COVID-19,” it said.
“There is no doubt that should the situation in the country get out of hand, women stand to suffer more emotionally and physically as caregivers in the home, communities and health facilities”.
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